Saturday, June 22, 1996

Sen. Hutchison vows to fight for becoming a delegate

By CHIP BROWN
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO - U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison vowed Friday to overcome an effort by the state's largest anti-abortion group to keep her from becoming a delegate to the GOP National Convention.

Hutchison has been at the center of a fight within the Texas GOP over abortion, but she was greeted warmly by delegates attending the party's state convention.

Her speech Friday focused on helping elect Bob Dole to the White House, blasted President Clinton and failed to mention abortion, an omission that wasn't lost on her critics.

"I am ready to vote against her," said Sonia Mohammed, a delegate from Austin, who wore a badge saying, "No Way Kay." "She didn't address the issue, and I just don't want her representing me because I am a pro-life conservative."

But several anti-abortion delegates said voting against Hutchison, who supports a woman's right to choose with some restrictions, would split the party and hurt Dole's presidential chances.

"We would divide the party if we kept her off the delegation," said delegate Chris Schuttger of Granbury. "We are not here to split the party. We are here to unify."

"I am strongly pro-life, but targeting a U.S. senator is not the right thing to do," said Jim Ivy, a delegate from Pecos.

Hutchison said she was the target of a "kamikaze mission" by a "small group that is not in the mainstream of our party."

"I believe that I will be a delegate because there's such an outpouring of support from the grass roots," Hutchison told reporters.

"There are so many people who are supporting me, people who are pro-life. They know I am a solid conservative and that this is ridiculous."

At an energized anti-abortion rally Thursday, Bill Price, president of Texans United for Life, exhorted his staunchly conservative followers to vote against Hutchison, who supports a mother's right to choose with some restrictions.

Price said her defeat would send a message to the country and presumptive presidential nominee Dole that pro-life platforms can't be tampered with.

Dole has called for a declaration of tolerance on the issue.

"There are a lot of people here who feel very strongly that because she would destroy the pro-life plank she shouldn't be a delegate," Price said.

"Today, she missed an opportunity to be honest with these delegates. She should have said we have honest differences of opinion on this issue. But she didn't say one word. Once again she is trying to keep her pro-abortion views as quiet as she can."

Reports began surfacing Friday night that a deal had been cut, allowing Hutchison to be a delegate as long as the Texas delegation to the national convention is overwhelmingly pro-life and that the state's two platform committee members are strong abortion foes.

U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, a strong anti-abortion voice who also addressed the convention Friday, pledged his support for Hutchison. He told the convention, "Kay and I love each other and work together as an effective team, and I want to keep it that way."

Later, Gramm told reporters Hutchison was being "bullied."

"Being immoderate, being extreme is never productive because you don't convince people of your viewpoint if you are an extremist," Gramm said.

"This is outrageous. I am confident that Kay is going to be chosen as a delegate," Gramm said.
Saturday the state convention will elect its 123 delegates to the national convention. Texas will send the second largest delegation behind California.

Texas Democratic Party spokesman Joe Cutbirth criticized both Gramm and Hutchison for not addressing abortion in their speeches to the convention.

"Both of them sidestepped an issue that appears to be tearing this convention apart," Cutbirth said. "I think this is a wakeup call for Bob Dole. Seeing the way abortion has divided this convention, it's no surprise he skipped coming here."

When asked why Hutchison didn't address abortion in her speech, she said, "I didnt' even think about it."